Choir Teacher
by skysky15
Summary: Summary inside. AU Shell!
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, well, this story is going to be pretty much completely AU. In this story, Shelby never agreed to be a surrogate, she just got pregnant at eighteen, so Hiram and Leroy aren't part of this story. Shelby is a single mom in this story, and Rachel is six. Also, Will teaches elementary school choir, and they all live in New York City.**

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"Come on, mommy, Mr. Schue is waiting for us!" Rachel exclaimed, pulling her mom down the hallway, towards the choir room.

Shelby walked faster,"Slow down, Rach. We are fifteen minutes early, anyway," she said. Rachel ignored her, walking as fast as her little six year old legs could carry her. Shelby chuckled as she stopped, causing Rachel to stop as well.

Rachel groaned,"Come on, mommy!" she said, struggling to pull her mother forward again.

Shelby scooped Rachel into her arms, beginning to walk again, this time at a slower pace,"Why are you so excited to get there? What is he going to tell me?" she asked, turning down the art hallway.

Rachel shrugged, wrapping her legs around her mother's waist,"I don't know," she said simply.

Shelby rolled her eyes as she walked into the choir room,"Mr. Schue!" Rachel yelled, alerting the man of their presence.

"Hey Rachel!" Will said happily, getting up out of his chair, walking towards the mother-daughter duo.

Rachel wiggled out of Shelby's arms and gave Will a hug,"Can I go play piano? I learned a new song last night!" she informed him excitedly.

Will chuckled,"Sure, Rach," he said, watching the young girl run over to the piano and slide onto the bench in front of it. He turned his eyes back towards the woman in front of him as Rachel began playing,"Ms. Corcoran, I'm Will Schuester. I'm the choir teacher," he said politely, offering a hand to Shelby.

Shelby shook it, smiling brightly,"Please, call me Shelby. Rachel says you're her favorite teacher," she said.

Will smiled,"Well, Shelby, Rachel is a very, very talented little girl," he said.

Shelby beamed with pride as she looked over at her daughter, concentrating on the song she was playing on the piano,"Yes she is," she said, turning her gaze back to Will, still not quite sure why he asked them to come in.

"Does she take voice lessons?" Will asked curiously.

Shelby nodded,"Voice, piano, and dance," she replied.

Will nodded,"Well, I just, I have a friend that does casting for Broadway, and he is looking for a little girl to be in a new show that is supposed to open next year," he started.

"And?" Shelby asked, hoping she was right about where this was going.

"And, I said that I had to talk to her parents about it first, but I suggested Rachel," Will said, smiling.

Shelby's eyes widened, and she threw her arms around Will, hugging him tightly,"Oh my God!" she squealed, gathering herself, and pulling away from the man that she barely knew, but keeping the bright smile on her face,"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.

Will smiled at her,"It's no problem," he said, clearing his throat,"So, uh, what will her dad say about it?" he asked.

Shelby's smile faded,"Well, uh, I'm actually a single mother. Her dad, well, he left when he found out I was pregnant," she said, shocked at how open she was with him. She didn't open up to anyone, let alone people she had just met.

Will cleared his throat again,"Well, I'll call him back, and tell him that you said it's ok," he said, smiling at her,"What's your phone number?" he asked, quickly adding,"You know, so I can give it to him, and he can call you with her audition times and everything," he said nervously.

Shelby chuckled at his nervousness,"Here," she said, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen off of his desk, and writing two phone numbers on it,"There is my home phone and cell phone number, to give to him," she said, handing him the paper. "Can I see you're phone?" she asked.

Will gave her a curious look, but handed her his iPhone,"Here," he said.

Shelby took it from him, putting her number into his contact list,"And there's my cellphone number, for you," she said, winking at him, before turning to Rachel,"Come on, sweetie, do you wanna' get some Chinese food for dinner?" she asked.

Rachel hopped off the piano bench, running into her mother's arms,"Yeah!" she exclaimed, once again wrapping her legs around Shelby's waist,"Mr. Schue, do you want to come with us?" she asked excitedly.

Will chuckled,"Sweetie, I don't think that-" he started.

Shelby interrupted him,"I think that's a great idea. Will, would you like to come to dinner with us?" she asked, smiling at him.

Will smiled back at her,"I'd love to," he said simply.

"Yay!" Rachel exclaimed.

Shelby smiled, keeping her gaze on Will,"Do you just want to follow us?" she asked.

Will nodded,"Sure," he said, following them out of the room, closing and locking his door behind him, excited to get to spend some more time with Shelby. He wanted, no, needed to learn more her.

"So," Will started, as he took his seat in the booth, across from Shelby and Rachel,"What do you do for a living?" he asked, sipping his water.

Shelby sipped her own water,"Well, actually, I am a teacher at NYADA," she said.

"Really?" Will asked curiously.

Shelby smiled at him,"Yeah, I teach one of the vocal classes," she informed him as the waitress approached. The waitress took their orders, and they all made casual conversation as they ate. They were there for two hours, not really even realizing how long they had been there, until Shelby got a text message, and noticed the time,"Oh, my God, it's already seven o'clock. We've got to get home, Rachel still has to practice her piano, and take a shower before she goes to sleep," she said, standing up and grabbing the bill of the table.

Will took it from her hands,"I've got it," he said, leading the way towards the front desk.

Shelby took Rachel's hand, pulling her daughter after Will,"At least let me pay half," she bargained.

Will shook his head,"No way, I've got it," he said simply. Will paid the bill, and the three walked out of the restaurant together. "Thanks for letting me come with you guys," Will said, standing in between his car and Shelby's, as Rachel climbed into the backseat, closing the car door behind her.

Shelby smiled at him,"Thank you for getting Rachel this audition," she countered.

Will waved his hand dismissively,"Don't mention it, I didn't really do anything," he said simply.

"And thank you for coming out with us. I had a really good time, and Rachel really likes you," Shelby said, still smiling, realizing that she had smiled more that evening than she had in a very long time.

Will nodded,"I had a really good time, too. Maybe, uh, if we go out again, you could get a baby sitter for Rachel," he suggested,"I mean, if we go out again. I'm not saying that we definitely will, not that I wouldn't love to go out with you again, because I would," he rambled, causing Shelby to chuckle,"I know, I'm, uh, not very smooth. It's been a while since I went on a date, not to say that this was a date," he continued, still obviously nervous. What could he say, she made him a nervous wreck. He didn't understand why, though. he had never been nervous around women. Something about Shelby was different, though. She didn't seem to be like most women.

Shelby continued to chuckle, but put a hand on Will's shoulder, stopping him from talking,"Relax, Will. I would love to go out with you again, without Rachel. You don't need to be so nervous around me," she said.

Will chuckled,"Sorry," he said simply.

Shelby rolled her eyes,"No need to apologize. Look, I'll call Rachel's babysitter when we get home. Are you free tomorrow?" she asked.

Will nodded,"Yeah, I don't have anything to do tomorrow," he replied.

Shelby smiled,"Ok, I'll talk to Rachel's babysitter, but I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll call you at three. You'll be out of classes by then, right?" she asked.

Will nodded,"Yep," he said simply.

Shelby leaned forward, kissing his cheek softly,"I'll talk to you tomorrow," she said, hopping into the driver's seat of her car, and pulling out of the parking spot, waving to him as she drove away, already looking forward to seeing him again.

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**Well, do you guys want me to continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

Will walked up the stairs to the apartment building that Shelby had told him was where she lived, checking the paper where he had written down her address, before buzzing her apartment.

"Who is it?" Shelby's voice came through the speaker a moment later.

Will cleared his throat, before pressing the button and replying,"It's Will. Um, Will Schuester," he said.

He could almost hear the smile in her voice as she replied,"Come on up," and the plexiglass door buzzed open. Will clutched the dozen roses he had bought from the florist down the block tightly in his hands as he stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor. He shifted from foot to foot nervously until the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Shelby was waiting for him in the hallway in casual dark wash jeans and a dark purple shirt with a grey cardigan,"You look great," Will said, walking up to her and handing her the flowers.

Shelby smiled warmly, bringing the flowers to nose and inhaling deeply,"Thanks Will, they're beautiful," she said,"Hold on, I'll just go put them inside. I would invite you in, but then Rachel would want to come with us," she added with a chuckle, stepping inside her apartment and emerging a moment later.

"Ready?" Will asked.

Shelby nodded,"Where are we going?" she asked, leading the way into the elevator and pressing the ground floor button.

"Well, there's a little theater a few blocks away, and they are doing Rent this month. I got us tickets and I thought after that we could go get something to eat," Will replied.

Shelby smiled as they stepped out into the spring air,"Sounds great! Rent is one of my favorite musicals," she said, surprising Will by taking his hand as they walked down the sidewalk together.

Will smirked,"I know, Rachel told me. That's why I got the tickets," he said with a chuckle.

Shelby looked at him with a raised eyebrow,"What else did Rachel tell you about me?" she asked.

Will chuckled, shaking his head,"Nothing embarrassing, I promise. You just came up in conversation sometimes. She loves talking about you. It's clear that you're her hero," he said, smiling warmly at Shelby.

Shelby beamed,"Really?" she asked.

Will nodded,"It's really not that surprising, you're a very admirable woman, Shel...by. Shelby," he said, catching the nickname that he accidentally let slip, not really knowing where it came from.

Shelby chuckled,"Shel? I like it," she said simply, easing Will's nerves a bit. They walked the rest of the way to the theatre.

Once they got there, their tickets were taken and they were escorted to their seats, right in the front row. "You got really good seats," Shelby commented, crossing her legs.

Will shrugged,"I wanted to make sure you have a good time," he said simply.

Shelby smiled, kissing his cheek,"That's very sweet of you," she said, taking his hand as the show began.

The production was astounding, and both Shelby and Will had an incredible time watching it, and just being with each other. "That was fantastic," Shelby exclaimed, still holding Will's hand as they exited the theatre.

Will nodded his agreement,"Had you seen it live before?" he asked.

Shelby nodded,"Yeah, I saw it when it was on Broadway," she replied, walking a bit closer to him.

"Well, are you hungry? When does your babysitter have to leave?" Will asked.

Shelby sighed, checking her watch,"Well, it's already six, and I promised Rachel that I would make her spaghetti for dinner, so I should probably get home," she said.

Will nodded,"I understand," he said simply.

They made it to the door to Shelby's apartment building, and Shelby looked at the door almost sadly,"I really did have an incredible time today, Will," she said, allowing him to take her other hand.

Will smiled,"So did I," he said, cautiously pulling her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist,"Is this ok?" he asked nervously.

Shelby chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck,"This is very ok," she replied quietly, leaning forward slowly, putting the ball in Will's court. Will leaned forward as well, finding some courage, and quickly connecting their lips. The kiss started out gentle, maybe even a little awkward, as if they were teenagers sharing their first kiss, but it didn't take long to heat up. Will slid his tongue along the seam of Shelby's lips and she immediately opened to him, moaning as he explored her mouth.

Before too long, air became a necessity, and the two pulled apart, panting,"Wow," Will said, chuckling.

Shelby smiled,"Do you wanna' come up and have dinner with us?" she asked.

Will nodded,"I would love to," he said, giving her one more peck on the lips, before allowing her to pull out of his arms and put in the pass code to get into the building. Shelby led Will up the stairs, stopping in front of her apartment and unlocking the door.

Immediately, a tiny brunette blur raced into Shelby's waiting arms,"Mommy!" Rachel exclaimed, hugging her mother tightly as she was lifted into her arms.

Shelby smiled, dropping her purse onto the table by the door, slipping off her shoes, and kissing Rachel's forehead,"Did you have a good time while I was gone, baby?" she asked.

Rachel nodded,"We watched Cinderella and played with barbies!" she said excitedly.

Shelby chuckled, putting Rachel back down on the ground and paying the babysitter as she walked past her,"So, spaghetti for dinner?" Shelby questioned, heading for the kitchen.

Rachel nodded, bouncing after her,"Can I help?" she asked.

Shelby nodded,"Sure, sweetie. Will, do you wanna' help, too?" she questioned as she pulled a pot out from cabinet, setting it on the stove, before glancing back at the man who was still standing beside the door.

Will smiled and nodded, slipping off his shoes and walking into the kitchen,"Sure, what do you need me to do?" he asked.

"You could start the beef," Shelby suggested, pulling out a frying pan and handing it to him.

"Can do," Will said, kissing Shelby's cheek as he took the package of beef from her.

"Mommy, are you and Mr. Schue dating?" Rachel asked, glancing between the two, smiling.

Will looked awkwardly at Shelby, not quite sure how to answer, but was saved from having to when Shelby did,"Yeah, sweetie, we are."

Rachel giggled,"Mr. Schue and mommy sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," she sang, skipping back into the living room, having lost interest in cooking already.

Shelby chuckled, smiling as she watched her daughter plop down on the piano bench and begin playing,"She's adorable," Will said as he finished washing his hands and wrapped his arms around her tentatively.

Shelby sighed as she leaned back against him, welcoming his embrace,"She is, isn't she?" she said, still smiling as she watched Rachel play.

Will chuckled and kissed her cheek before tending to the cooking beef,"You know," Shelby said, filling the pot with water and setting it on the stove,"We've only really been on one date, and you're already in my kitchen helping me make dinner. You've made it farther than alot of other guys that I may have dated for months, who never even got to meet Rachel," she said.

"Well, I like to think that I'm not like other guys," Will said, smiling.

Shelby rolled her eyes,"Well, that comment brought you closer to being like one of the other guys," she said, laughing.

Will looked surprised for a moment,"I was just kidding," he stuttered.

Shelby chuckled, giving him a sweet kiss,"You know, I feel really comfortable around you," she admitted, leaning against the stove and watching him cook the beef.

Will smiled at her,"Really? I'm a nervous wreck around you," he joked.

Shelby chuckled," I can tell," she said,"You don't need to be, though."

Will shrugged,"I can't help it. I really like you, and it's been a while since I dated anyone. I just don't wanna' mess it up before it really even starts," he said.

Shelby gave him a warm smile,"You're not gonna' mess it up, Will. Unless you do something very, very stupid. I like you, a lot," she informed him.  
Will smiled at her,"Well, I'm glad to know that the feelings are mutual," he said, turning back to the food.

Shelby raised an eyebrow at the way he said that, but ignored it as she went back to cooking. The couple shared dinner with Rachel, and Will even helped clean up before Shelby walked him outside. The couple stood outside of Shelby's apartment building on the sidewalk kissing for several minutes, before they finally separated, Will hailing a taxi, and Shelby walking back into the building to put Rachel to bed.

Shelby had never had such a good first date before, and she was beyond excited to see how their relationship would continue to grow.


End file.
